Libya: UN sanctioned human trafficker killed in Tripoli
No end to violence appears in sight for Libya, as state officials reported that one of the country’s most wanted human traffickers was killed on September 1st in the capital, Tripoli, raising tension in the west of the North African nation, reported AP and agencies.
Abdel-Rahman Milad was said to be shot dead by unknown assailants, with no group claiming responsibility for the killing. Officials also stated that the circumstances of his death were not immediately known.
Milad, who commanded a coast guard unit in the western town of Zawiya, had been sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council along with five others for leading a criminal network engaged in human trafficking and migrant smuggling in June 2018.
Libyan media outlets reported that Milad was shot inside his vehicle in the Sayyad area in the western part of Tripoli. The white Toyota Land Cruiser in which the wanted man was killed was shown to have bullet marks on its side, according to footage circulating online.
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No immediate comment was provided by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who heads the Tripoli-based government, according to two Libyan officials who spoke under a condition of anonymity for their safety.
Militia leader Moammar Dhawi, based in the west of Libya, mourned for Milad’s death. Dhawi called for an investigation to bring the perpetrators to account in a statement released on Facebook.
Libya, which is currently divided by two administrations, both backed by armed groups and foreign governments, has been embroiled in corruption and turmoil since the NATO-backed uprising in 2011 that toppled longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
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The oil-rich country has become a major conduit for people from the Middle East and Africa, especially since onset of Sudan’s brutal civil war, fleeing conflict and poverty, hoping to reach Europe via the perilous Mediterranean Sea route.
UN experts monitoring sanctions on refugee smugglers claimed that Milad and other coast guard members were “directly involved in the sinking of migrant boats using firearms.”
Milad had repeatedly denied any connections relating to human smuggling, stating that traffickers wore uniforms like those of his men. He was sent to jail for six months between October 2020 and April 2021 on human trafficking and fuel smuggling charges.
AP and agencies
